Being Jolly...

If you don't happen to get a card from us, this is our latest family picture... It took a few tries (20?), but we finally got a few that we could choose from. Kudos to my friend Joslyn who was our photographer... and a very patient one at that!

Being Festive!
What we included in our gift platters to neighbors this year...

The super yummy-melt-in-your-mouth Russian Tea Cookies
-thanks again Ellen!

North Carolina Peanut Brittle
It takes over an hour to make standing stirring
while it gets to hard crack stage, but it's worth it!

Snowflake Card
Even though we delivered this in RAINcoats and Sarah in her cute lil' rain boots...

The final gift!
I included Cindy L.'s "Killer Fudge" and a few of the the "L" Family Cookies (to be explained in a later post), and gingerbread trees with snow icing...

It was super fun to take Sarah around and having her take part in giving/connecting with our neighbors. I don't ever want her to remember a time when we aren't giving/serving our community. Our cul de sac has isn't the most social. Most keep to themselves. Everyone is friendly enough to wave when they drive by, but that's about it. So I find myself constantly thinking of ways to make some sort of contact - even if it doesn't include meaningful conversation. Next year I'm going to have a cookie exchange and try to get a gathering of us all based around food, have cookie decorating for the kiddos and hopefly draw more of us together...

Sarah quote: Mmmmm, smells good! Cookies and
Hot Tock-ket (Chocolate)

Man, she's got her Daddy's sweet tooth already!

I've been neglecting my blog in favor of baking these past days... Pictures will follow, but let's just say that I had to make a market run this morning because I found that I had run out of sugar!

Gingerbread trees covered in snow
Cindy L.'s Killer Fudge
Sugar Santa Cookies (a la Lockwood Family Cookie style)
Russian Tea Cookies (Thanks Ellen!)
and the latest: Peanut Brittle

Whew! I think I'm finished for now... Can't wait to take them around to the neighbors!

Meme of Eight with Google

(Thanks Ellen)

The rules are for each question type your answer into Google Image Search. Pick one image from the 1st page results.

1. Age at your next birthday


2. Place you'd like to travel to.

Any and all of Italy and Sicily

3. Favorite Place

Zion National Park

4. Favorite Objects

Books

5. Favorite Food

Italian of course!

6. Favorite Colors

Red, White, and Silver

7. Nickname

Todd calls me Beautiful

8. Place you were born

Spokane, Washington

I Wonder...

Do Christmas carols from those who celebrate Christmas in the southern hemisphere exist? Have I just not heard them because we live in the Northern Hemisphere? If they DO exist, what do they highlight as the warm Christmas experiences that are the polar opposite (sorry, I couldn't resist) of our sleigh rides, cocoa, snowman, and North Pole imagery? Hmmmm... We northerners can't really hold the world's only song writer's of Christmas carols... There's gotta be a southern version of Bing, Nat, Sinatra etc. right?

:: L I Z Z Y ::

You are Elizabeth Bennet of Pride & Prejudice! You are intelligent, witty, and tremendously attractive. You have a good head on your shoulders, and oftentimes find yourself the lone beacon of reason in a sea of silliness. You take great pleasure in many things. You are proficient in nearly all of them, though you will never own it. Lest you seem too perfect, you have a tendency toward prejudgment that serves you very ill indeed.

I couldn't resist... I love Lizzy probably the most of Austen's characters - wonder if that skewed my answers? Hmmm... It's time for a holiday rereading of one of her novels I think!